Liquid gear for propellers.



G. A. BOYDEN. LIQUID GEAR FOR PROPELLERS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1906.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

7 8 9 I0 77 I2 A? /4 Z} 76 fizwenzor GEORGE ALBERT BOYDEN, 0F MOUNT WASHINGTON, MARYLAND.

LIQUID GEAR FOR PBOPELLERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 6, 1906. Serial No. 338,542.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALBERT BoY- DEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount lVashington, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid Gear for Propellers, of which? the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to governing the direction of motion and speed or work of propellers, also governing the engine in accordance with the work performed by the propeller in marine propulsion, wherein the power consists of non-reversible engines.

Among the objects of the invention are: the reversal of the direction of motion of the propeller positively and smoothly, by which the reversal is insured as determined on and the mechanism and the hull relieved of any undue strains and jerks; the instantaneous engagement (take hold) and disengagement let go between the propeller and engine, by which the former is quickly controlled to meet impending danger and the surrounding requirements; the complete or graduated applications and vice versa, the cut-off of the power from the minimum to the maximum between the propeller and engine, by which the speed of the craft can be regulated as desired; the maintenance of practically a uniform resistance against the engine irrespective of the work performed by the propeller by which racing of the engine is revented; the mechanical construction of such form as Will afford ready accessibility, adjustment and repair, by which the device can be conveniently, quickly and cheaply overhauled, all of which are accomplished as set forth in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of a craft showing approximately the relative position of the engine, propeller and the governing device; Fig. 2 a horizontal-section view ofthe device; Fig. 3 an end view of the device with one of the end sections of the casing removed; Fig. 4 across-sectional view of the device on line wa:, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a crosssectional view of the controllin valve on line 7 v Fig. 6, and Fig. 6 a side-view of the controlling valve.

While the drawings show one practical way of constructing the device, they are submitted for illustrative purposes only, and are in no way to limit the scope of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout specification and drawings and are arranged numerically in Figs. 1 and 2,to facilitate locating the parts in the drawings.

In Fig. 1 the hull of the craft is shown with the engine 1, governing device 2, and propeller wheel 3 arranged in the usual manner, with the propeller shaft in two sections connected together by the governingdevice 2.

The governing device consists of a casing divided into :three sections 5, 12, 14 and secured together by suitable bolts 29 extending through the several sections.

'The sections 5 and 1 are provided with suitable stufling boxes 15, 17 through which sections 4, 16 of the propeller shaft enter the casing, by which tight joints are formed to prevent theescape of the liquid, confined in all the various passages, ports and chambers of the governing device, forming the hy draulic circuit between the drive and driven mechanisms by which the transmission of the power is applied, cut-off, graduated and controlled between the engine and the propeller.

Section 4 of the propeller shaft is pro vided with a head, 6, permanently secured thereto, which rotates in a chamber, 8, cccentric to the head 6 (Fig. 3) and of such, construction that the reciprocating blades 7 are moved through slots cut in the head 6 in such manner that as the head is rotated the blades force the liquid composing the hydraulic circuit from the large area of the eccentric chamber 8 toward the smaller area, thus expelling the liquid from one side through passage 19 and receiving it at the other side through the passage 9. The sections 5 and 14 of the casing, with their respective mechanism as described, are both alike, the one connected to section 4 of the propeller shaft forming the drive mech- Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

operator. The cap 21 closes the opening through which the valve 22 is inserted in the casing with the joints between the parts made tight by any suitable system of pack- 5 1n lhe valve 22 is provided with ports 11, 24 extending diagonally across the valve relatively to the line of its axis by which in connection with the passages 19, (Fig. 10 4) 13, 25, 20, 9, the course of the liquid, forming the hydraulic circuit, is directed to reverse the direction of motion of sections 4.- and 16 of the propeller shaft, or made to rotate in unison, as desired. The valve 22 is also provided with a cavity, 30, which connects passages 10 and whereby the liquid is shunted back'to the drive mechanism when wholly or partially cut-off from the driven mechanism. The cavity 30 is 2 provided with angular surfaces 31 to graduate and partially choke the shunted circuit when partially applying or cutting off the power from the propeller, and also a partition havinga restricted opening, 32, to choke 25 the liquid flow of the short circuit as it passes back to the drive mechanism when the poweris wholly .cut off from the propeller and the engine thereby prevented from racing. In the mechanical construction all the joints are made liquid tight by any suitable packing, and the sections of the casing so arranged that by removing the bolts 29 and slipping the end sections of the casing on their respective sections of the propeller shaft, away from the central section, the drive and driven mechanisms are readily accessible for repairs and adjustment.

In the operation of the device the ower from the engine is transmitted throng section 4 of the propeller shaft to the rotatin head (3, located in chamber 8, and the liqui confined therein is forced by the blades 7 through passages 19, 10, port 11, in control ling valve 22, passage 13 to the chamber 26 of the driven mechanism and therein acting on the blades 27 rotates the head 28 in unison'with the drive head 6 in direction, speed and power as transmitted to the drive head-6 by\the engine.

In case it is desired to reverse the motion of the propeller the lever 18 is thrown back 180 which changes the position of the ports 11 and 24 (see dotted lines) to engage passages 9 and 19. This changes the course of the liquid from passage 19 to port 24 and passage 25 to the opposite side of the head 28, oI i the propeller shaft 16 from what it was and reverse the motion of the driven 6O mechanism and likewise the work of the propeller.

In case it is desired to entirely cutofi' the action of the propeller the lever 18 is placed vertical or at 90 from its former described desire and wish to secure by Letters Patent is position, which places the cavity 30, in the controlling valve 22, in full communication with the passages 10, 20 and the liquid then passes from the drive mechanism through passages 19, 10 to cavity 30 in controlling valve 22, and through choked passage 32, back to the drive mechanism. through passages 20, 9 forming a short circuit that is sufliciently retarded by the choked pas-' sage 32 to maintain practically the maximum working resistance of the propeller against the engine and revent the engine from racing. In case it is desired to apply any intermediary power, between the minimum and maximum, to the propeller, the lever 18 is moved to partially cut off the full capacity of the port 11, in the controlling valve 22, the cavity 30 communicating with the passages 10, 20 simultaneously with the beginning of the cut off of port 11 and gradually increasing in capacity as port 11 diminishes. This diminution of port 11 reduces the amount of liquid flow to the driven mechanism and thereby applies power thereto in accordance to the amount of liquid supply, the angular surfaces 31 being so graduated and arranged that an unison of action is maintained between the ports and passages and also sufficient chokingof the liquid to afford resistance, to maintain practically a uniform speed of the engine.

By the employment of a h draulic circuit as the take hold and let go element in a device to govern propellers, the actions of the device, as determlned on by the operator, are positive and reliable as there can be'no sticking of the liquid, such as occurs in frictional clutch devices, also the take hold and let go is more or less yieldingwhich ermits the chan es to be made smoothly and in a perfect graduated manner.

Having described my invention, what I United States 1. In a device to transmit power from the engine to the propeller in marine propulsion, the combination of an engine, propeller wheel, propeller shaft in two sections;

iquid transmission mechanism to transmit power from one section of the propeller shaft; liquid receiving mechanism ,to impart power to the other section; hydraulic circuit interposed between the said mechanisms and cut-off means to wholly or partially shunt the hydraulic circuit, .whereby the ower between the engine and propeller can lie wholly out 011' or applied, or partially so, from the minimum to t e maximum.

2. In a device to transmit power from the engine to the propeller in marine propulsion, the combination of an engine; propeller wheel; ropeller shaft in .two sec tions; drive mechanism to transmit power from one section of the propeller shaft; driven mechanism to impart power to the other section; hydraulic" cir-' cuit interposed between the said mechanisms; controlling valve mechanism to regulate the amount of power applied from one mechanism to the other and liquid-flow retarding means, whereby when the power is cut off or reduced from the propeller the engine is prevented from racing and the speed thereof maintained uniform irrespective of the work performed by the propeller.

3. The combination with an engine, of a propeller shaft formed of two sections, one section being geared with the engine, the other section being operatively connected with a propeller, means interposed between the contiguous ends of said sections for transmitting power from one to the other, and means for controlling the application of power to said pro eller section, said means being constructe to prevent racing of the engine section when the propeller section is disconnected therefrom.

4. The combination with an engine, of a propeller shaft formed of two sections, one

section being geared with said engine, the

other section being operatively connected -with a propeller, means interposed between the contiguous ends of said sections for varying the power a plied to the ropeller section, and means or automatically varying the load on-the' engine section to conform to the variations in load on the propeller section.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE ALBERT BOYDEN.

Witnesses:

Laws C. KLERLEIN, DELL BROWN. 

